IPhone Keeps Them In at T-Mobile

If you’re looking for evidence that the iPhone still matters, check out T-Mobile 's earnings next week.

Getty Images

The fourth-largest carrier’s addition of the Apple device to its portfolio in April may have prevented 300,000 to 400,000 total customers from leaving, according to a report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners LLC.

The estimate is based on a small survey of 500 phone activations that occurred between April and June of this year, about 75 of which were on T-Mobile. If it pans out next week, it will be a significant step for the carrier as it works to turn itself around. The company reported losing 199,000 contract customers last quarter.

As many as 22% of T-Mobile’s customers were already using unlocked versions of the iPhone prior to its official launch, according to the report. Since April, that number has swelled to 36%, the report said.

T-Mobile was the last of its main competitors to carry the iPhone. It started selling it about 18 months after Sprint and about six years after it was first launched on AT&T.

Fewer customers losses at T-Mobile could mean fewer adds at the leading carriers. AT&T mentioned the T-Mobile iPhone as a new source of competitive pressure in the second quarter, when it added just 551,000 net contract customers. Analysts think Verizon’s results also showed the signs of greater competition, though the carrier still added 941,000 net contract subscribers.